Chapter 2: Signing up
"Are you going to sign up?" Harry asked Ron as they climbed the staircases to get to the Gryffindor common room.
"Well duh! Of course I am, come on the one time I'll get to hex Snape; it's an opportunity I can't pass up!" Ron replied excitedly. Hermione let out a sigh of exasperation. Ron turned sharply to face her and asked "What have I done now?"
"Is that all you think about finding ways to humiliate Professor Snape, you're pathetic," Hermione replied with an air of superiority.
"Fine if you think you're so good why don't you join up!" Ron shouted in Hermione's face, he turned and strode quickly towards the portrait door.
"FINE, I WILL THEN!" Hermione screamed back as Ron's body vanished through the open portrait. Harry gave Hermione a questioning look as he waited for her to catch up. "Don't you start too Harry," she said quietly with her head down.
"I didn't say a thing and I wasn't going to either," Harry said stepping through the threshold to the Gryffindor common room. Hermione walked over to a small comfy red armchair by the fireplace. The common room was a buzz of excitement as people discussed the up coming competition. Hermione glanced towards the notice board; about thirty names had been scribbled down already. Thinking that she would do it later she took out a rather heavy book on the improvements in modern potion making. Just as she was starting an interesting passage on the increased time of the effects of the polyjuice potion a hand tapped her on the shoulder.
"I'm going to bed now Mione, see you in the morning," Harry said stifling a yawn. Hermione watched as he trudged up to the boy's dormitories. She glanced again at the notice board then around the room, she was the only one still up. It was now or never. Standing up and placing the book on the table in front of her she walked slowly over to the notice board. Suddenly she heard whistling and talking outside, the portrait opened and Alice and Lupin strode in.
"Hey Hermione! Are you signing up?" Alice asked gesturing towards the board with her one free hand, the other entwined in Lupin's.
"Ummm, I'm not sure; I probably wouldn't be good enough. Anyway what are you doing here?" Hermione asked trying to change the subject.
"Oh, we thought that we would check up on how many candidates we would be having to select from, plus I ran out of chocolate so we nipped down to the kitchens," Lupin said with his usual broad grin as he glanced around the room. "Just as I remembered it, I haven't been up here for a while," he commented to himself.
"Earth to Remus!" Alice chuckled while waving her hand in front of his eyes.
"Yes, yes, ok I get the point!" he said, playfully swatting her hand away. "Hermione I think you would be amazing at this, give it a go," Lupin said turning to her.
"Really?" Hermione asked shyly as her cheeks began to flush a dark shade of red.
"Really," Lupin answered smiling kindly. Hermione picked up the quill attached to the slip, she signed up her name. There, it was done. "Looks like there is about thirty one names there now, do you know how long that's going to take us to sort out?" Lupin moaned.
"Come on, we've still got the Slytherins to do. God I hope we don't run into Severus after the way he stormed out of the hall!" Alice said sighing. "Well, goodnight Hermione, oh and good luck!" she shouted as she walked through the portrait door. Lupin followed and gave her a small smile and a wink as he excited the common room. Hermione suddenly realising she was about to fall asleep on her feet trudged up to the girl's dormitory. Her last thought before she fell asleep was wondering who she would be paired with if she got through.